Pages

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

As you readers know, we have a stupid name for our boat. When we bought the boat, she was called Alert. Yes, Alert. We knew we had to change it, and change it we did, to another stupid name. I will not mention this one, but it did not have any real meaning. We never changed the name on the transom, which is a good thing, but now Alert must go.
For one thing, nobody ever calls us on the radio. As soon as you say "Alert Alert Alert", you figure the coasties will call to ask what the emergency is. It would have been easier for us if the boat had some really bad name, like Ass Clown, which would have been peeled off right away. Screw the ceremony, the Gods would understand that one.
So anyway we tried mixing up the kids names (Kelly and Nicole) a bit to come up with something clever, but the only thing that sounded right was.....
Drum roll please......
Yes, we are now the S/V KellyNicole. They are a big part of our lives, and this is our way of taking them with us.
I like the shamrock, as it reminds me of their smiling Irish eyes, which they got from their mom. Mine have bags.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

More from the August cruise...
We left the Island prison about noon, after I visited the Gillis family. I spotted them on my way back from Gan, scoping out our slip. They were on the other side of the island at anchor, and they looked like they were having a great time.
We're now docked, and fully charged, and relaxing in the sun. Of course, they give us the slip next to the immense trawler. We had a about a foot between us. Seems wherever we get a slip, it's next to a giant powerboat. At least nobody was home.

We ate dinner at a supposed Irish Pub. Not even close. I got a black and tan in about 30 seconds, so that tells you there is no Irish in this pub. The food was pretty bad too. We went into town, to King street, and found The old English Pub. Okay, this should be interesting. Well, the Brits win this battle, as it was great! Nice place, small, crowded, and they had the Bills game on. We stayed until the half, and then went back to the boat to crash for the night. Bills looked pretty bad.
Just an observation...I think every Canadian city has a King st., just like every American city has a Martin Luther King blvd.

More from the cruise in August...
Today we move to the marina in Gananoque, where we'll plug into the grid and enjoy the good life. The "Crosby" can suck down the Canadian grid, keeping our beer and cheese cold.
Last night the wind kicked up while at anchor. I got up to the deck, and decided to sleep in the cockpit for a while. Every gust would wake me, but I immediately would seewe were holding, and go back to sleep. I imagine I'll have to do that a few times when we're cruising full time.
I just realized how close the guy next to us is this morning. It's like the empty movie theater, and the next couple that come in, sit right in front of you. Why? This guy is retirement age, and from Rochester, and he knows he dropped too close, but I couldn't scare him away. Being a newbie at this, I thought I'd just stick it out and see what happens. All is well, though I could probably toss him the creamer for his coffee.
You know how sound carries through the water? When down below, we can hear the props of various boats cutting through the water. We know when it's a power boat, or a sailboat just by the sound. I can see now how the navy can train people to to spot different vessels and subs based on the propulsion signature.
This blue heron has been our neighbor the whole time behind the island. I think he owns the little strip of land behind us. What a great spot this bird has. Of course, it too may be trapped in Prison Beaurivage.